Miller

A former Miller Middle School teacher has pleaded guilty to assaulting a student and received a deferred judgment and one year of probation.

Paul Philip Miller, 61, of Boone, received the sentence in Marshall County District Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to the charge of assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, a serious misdemeanor, back in February. The charges stemmed from an incident on Feb. 12, 2024, when, according to a criminal complaint, a 13-year-old male student reported that Miller became angry with him for moving his desk and shoved the desk against the victim’s stomach, pinning him against the wall. He also told authorities Miller slapped him in the face, and Miller admitted the assault to school administrators when he was questioned about it.

On Feb. 17, Miller received a 30-day suspended prison sentence, a $430 fine and one year of probation, but the same day, Judge Kathryn Austin ordered that the previous judgment be set aside in its entirety. During a subsequent sentencing hearing on March 14, six letters of support attesting to Miller’s character were presented as well as proof that he had completed a court-approved course on assaultive behavior through Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).

As part of his updated sentence, Miller will still be required to pay the $430 fine. He had no criminal record in Iowa prior to the offense last year.